🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $13,570/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$11,299 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Health Professions or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 850, or ACT below 16 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R2: Doctoral - High Research Activity
Total enrollment
8,877
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$11,299
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$26,874
+$15,575 vs in-state
Admit rate
75.3%
Accessible
SAT middle 50%
850–1030
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
16–20
composite
Test policy
Required
2023
10-yr earnings
$45,411
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$36,350
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,411
4-year completion
43%
Median debt (completers)
$27,000
Cost of attendance
$26,362
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
66%

💰 True ROI

8.4× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$54,280
$13,570/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$51,168
vs sticker $105,448
10-yr earnings total
$454,110
$45,411/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.2 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Prairie View A & M University, the average net price is $13,570/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$12,120/yr
Family income $30-48k
$13,465/yr
Family income $48-75k
$16,024/yr
Family income $75-110k
$17,753/yr
Family income $110k+
$16,376/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Prairie View A & M University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Prairie View A & M University →

Opens on Prairie View A & M University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Prairie View A & M University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Prairie View A & M University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions
227 degrees · 29.1%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
209 degrees · 26.8%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Engineering
124 degrees · 15.9%
Typical career outcomes
Mechanical Engineer $100k Electrical Engineer $107k Civil Engineer $93k Chemical Engineer $112k
Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.
4. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness
117 degrees · 15.0%
Typical career outcomes
Athletic Trainer $58k Fitness Trainer / Coach $46k Recreation Director $65k
Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.
5. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
103 degrees · 13.2%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Prairie View A & M University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 25 $84,195 $115,939
Chemical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 50 $58,627 $92,591
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 107 $83,218 $91,910
Mechanical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 67 $66,678 $88,708
Civil Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 10 $63,372 $84,082
Management Information Systems and Services. Bachelor's Degree 18 $78,757
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 30 $77,763 $75,631
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 23 $46,222 $67,964
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. Bachelor's Degree 18 $61,068 $64,359
Architecture. Bachelor's Degree 37 $62,540

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Prairie View A & M University

CS degrees (annual)
48
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Prairie View A & M University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Prairie View A & M University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Prairie View A & M University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Louisville
KY · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Arkansas
AR · Public
15 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Mississippi
MS · Public
15 auto-merit scholarships on file
West Virginia University
WV · Public
11 auto-merit scholarships on file
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
OK · Public
9 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Prairie View A & M University.
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($9,431 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($6,380 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($5,783 less)
Texas A & M International University
TX · Public
$10,697/yr for $110k+ families ($5,679 less)
East Central University
OK · Public
$10,702/yr for $110k+ families ($5,674 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
The University of Texas at El Paso
TX · Public
100% admit rate (vs 75% here)
West Texas A & M University
TX · Public
97% admit rate (vs 75% here)
Sul Ross State University
TX · Public
96% admit rate (vs 75% here)
Tarleton State University
TX · Public
94% admit rate (vs 75% here)
University of North Texas at Dallas
TX · Public
94% admit rate (vs 75% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Prairie View A & M University into your overall strategy:

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